everything Cody prayed.
When he finished, with their eyes still closed and their hands still joined, Cheyenne took over. “Father, I pray that Cody might know how grateful I am … and that You would continue to grow this bond … whatever this is we share together.”
Cody understood her honesty. They both felt their friendship pushing into new territories. Like she’d told him earlier, she wasn’t afraid of anything. Not even dating, if that’s where this was headed.
“I love when you pray.” He searched her heart … looking for what could’ve possibly caused a girl as damaged as Cheyenne to love God so fully. “Your faith makes me stronger, Chey. It does.”
He helped her to her feet. When they were facing each other, she smiled at him. “Today was perfect.”
“It was.” He put his hands on her shoulders, remembering again how his team had surprised her. “Thanks for being adventurous.”
“Are you kidding?” Her eyes sparkled, her expression more familiar to him — the way it had been before her accident. “Best day since the accident.”
“Good.” He pulled her into a careful hug. Again he felt something change in his heart, in the way he felt toward her. Like if this were a different place, if she were well and this were the end of another sort of night together, he might consider kissing her. The thought took him by surprise and caused him to step back sooner than he might’ve otherwise. “Goodnight, Chey … Heal up.”
The drive home didn’t take long — ten minutes maybe. Along the way Cody wondered about Chey’s prayer, the part where she asked God to continue growing the bond between them — whatever it might be. Cody looked at his computer as he walked into his room, and for a moment he thought about going on Facebook. Checking up on his players … seeing if Bailey had posted any new photos.
But instead he brushed his teeth, changed into a pair of shorts, and climbed into bed. His prayer that night was not the usual one for inner peace, or the prayer that God might take away the nightmares and flashbacks. The Lord was already answering that prayer — more so every day. Rather, he prayed that God would make it clear what he was supposed to do with his feelings for Cheyenne, and whether she was the girl he was supposed to love, the girl he should maybe even marry someday. But no matter how long he prayed, a part of his heart still ached for Bailey. So instead he changed up his prayer again, asking God this time for an undivided heart. And as he fell asleep, he added one more request. That the Lord would make him a whole lot more like Cheyenne. Not afraid of anything.
Even falling in love again.
Nine
THE SHOW WAS DARK ON MONDAY — NO PERFORMANCES. SO Bailey had time to spend with Betty and Bob Keller, something she had come to look forward to. It was the first Monday in June, and this morning Betty was resuming her summer group Bible study. Every Monday morning throughout the summer, three of her friends would stop in for an hour-long Bible discussion — at least according to Betty. “We see each other here and there during the other seasons.” Betty had smiled, talking about her friends. “But we know how busy we can get. That’s why we keep our weekly meetings to just the summertime.”
The study would start in five minutes, and Bailey was still fixing her hair in her room. But already she could hear the voices of the other women. She hurried herself, aware that she’d be ready by now if she hadn’t gone on Facebook this morning. Her intent, as always, was to update her page with something encouraging for the girls who had befriended her. Bailey liked to think of the couple thousand people who followed her on Facebook as genuine friends … and her page the place where they met in something of a virtual living room. A place to hang out.
She’d found a verse from Ezra 10:4 that seemed especially fitting. “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it!” The verse was powerful for Bailey … just reading it made her feel stronger. It reminded her of how she had moved on after Cody, how she had been forced to rely on God’s strength and rise up to the matter. Also how she had relied on